Glorious Gonarezhou

Before starting their trip to Gonarezhou, our team was admittedly sceptical about various factors. One major factor was the park itself… another being our little steed, the Opposite Lock Suzuki Jimny. However, our intrepid father-and-son adventure duo, Anton Willemse Snr and Jnr, were pleasantly surprised by both.

My father and I had Gonarezhou firmly within our adventurous sights since the birth of this magazine about two years ago. It had always been one of those “one day” trips, but we were highly cautious while planning this outing.

The first major issue was finding information about Gonarezhou and the surrounding area, so I had to pull out the big guns. I dusted off one of my granddad’s old travel books to read up about the “place of the elephant” and spent hours learning about his trip to the park about two decades ago. The feedback from both my grandfather and the travel books made me extremely sceptical about Gonarezhou, both sources describing it as a barren wasteland ravaged by poaching and corruption.

Is it even worth visiting, we were wondering…? However, there was no turning back as the trip was booked, the Jimny packed, and we were on our way in the midst of one of the coldest winters Gauteng has seen in recent years.

Getting Started

We met up with the convoy at the Petroport on the N1 outside Pretoria. Our travel party consisted of my father and I in Opposite Lock’s kitted-out Suzuki Jimny, Coba and Darrel from Opposite Lock in their brand-new 4.2-litre Land Cruiser 79, Kenneth and Ti-Amore in their 4.5 V8 Land Cruiser named Gunnland (find them on social media: @gunnland79), Kenny from CGear in his Volkswagen 4Motion V6 Amarok and finally a familiar face, Jaco from Affipadaf in his new Amatrokkie (a customised Amarok 2.0 TDI 4×4). The group’s excitement was palpable, everyone rearing to embark on this adventure of a lifetime.

Our first destination would be the stunning Mapungubwe National Park, only 70km away from Musina and the Zimbabwe border. We arrived at the reception of Mapungubwe just after 17h00, just in time for the Boks to kick off against Wales for the deciding test in Cape Town. So, I promptly switched to RSG inside the Jimny to listen to the first half of the test match while heading to our accommodation, Tshugulu Lodge. Handré Pollard had just smashed through the Wales defence for the first try, and as we celebrated in the car, I saw a large feline crossing the road ahead. I immediately thought it to be a lion, but to my surprise, it was a leopard!

On a high from this excellent sighting, I promptly forgot about the test match when we arrived at the quaint Tshugulu Lodge – a beautiful old house nestled between the beautiful sandstone rock outcrops that Mapungubwe is known for. Our first night was highly enjoyable, thanks to some good food and bonding around the campfire. We were all excited about the trip, which was officially starting the next day.

An unplanned adventure

We had an early start on the second day, hitting the road at around 07h00 as we wanted to bask in the glory of the Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa confluence. We then headed to Musina to refuel and pick up our thirdparty insurance before heading to the Beitbridge border post to cross over into Zimbabwe. The South African side of the border crossing was fairly hassle-free. After crossing the Limpopo, we were greeted by a brand-new customs building, giving us a sense of hope that things on the Zim side have improved. We thought this crossing would be quick and easy. We were wrong. Dead wrong.

The incredibly cumbersome process starts with you going through a boom to receive a temporary gate pass. When you enter customs, you must head to the “Zimborder” booth to purchase your actual gate pass. After this, you must fill in a form declaring the reason for your visit. After filling in this form, you get a stamp in your passport as well as the first one on your gate pass. You then have to head to the sick bay to display either a Covid-19 vaccination certificate or a negative Covid-19 test. This gives you your second stamp on your gate pass. You then have to get a security clearance stamp from some random guy in the parking lot. This is truly not an exaggeration – all visitors crossing this border need to get a stamp from an “official” person with no booth or uniform to make him identifiable.

After getting your third stamp, you must head to the “Zimra” booth, Zimbabwe’s revenue service. Here you have to pay for the following two stamps – your third-party insurance (which we got beforehand) and your Temporary Vehicle Import (TVI). This gives you your fourth and fifth stamps, and congratulations, you’re almost there. You just need one more… Your final stamp is a police clearance stamp, which you get after declaring your goods and a quick vehicle inspection. You have to drop off your gate pass at the last boom, and finally – you’re in Zimbabwe. This crossing took us four hours and our chances of reaching Gonarezhou at Malipati Gate seemed unlikely.

Always looking for adventure, we didn’t want to enter Gonarezhou through the main gate at Chiredzi but rather drive a new and unknown road running east, semi-parallel with the Limpopo until it turns north toward the town of Malipati and eventually Gonarezhou. However, the border crossing had ruined our chances of reaching Malipati. So, we proceeded along this road until well into the night, finally finding a lovely campsite in a riverbed between nothing and nowhere in the middle of Zimbabwe… We did say we’re always looking for the adventure, didn’t we?

Reaching the destination

The next day we woke up to some truly stunning scenery. We weren’t even in the park yet, and the sheer beauty was already breathtaking. We packed up our impromptu campsite and proceeded in a northeastern direction, following the trusty Garmin Tread XL Overland. However, my trust quickly came under siege when – after only 20 minutes of driving – we ran into what seemed to be a dead end when we got to a closed gate guarded by cattle. My father and I spoke to some locals who ensured us that this was not a dead end but in fact the road to Gonarezhou. We proceeded through their property and turned left at the fork; the GPS confirmed this, much to my relief.

We followed a cut line toward Gonarezhou and, in doing so, made some new roads. We did some proper off-roading while enjoying some of the most beautiful Mopane forests, Baobab patches, and some magnificent river forests along the dried-out riverbeds. This was a gorgeous road, but it was by no means a good one, and the Opposite Lock Jimny was leading, plotting the trail for two Cruisers and two Amaroks. This little trooper really did surprise us.

We finally arrived at the little village of Malipati, bordering the Gonarezhou National Park on the Nuanetsi River. Upon our arrival at the park’s border, we learned that there is no bridge or a causeway here, which meant a river crossing. I immediately took off my shoes to gauge if the river was crossable by foot. Luckily, the locals standing in the water assured me that there were no crocs around this area. I walked through the river and gave the all-clear for everybody to pass through. Once safely on the other side we enjoyed a nice brunch on the bank of the river.

After brunch, we had to book into Gonrezhou at Mabalauta, the largest campsite in the southern part of the park. From there we headed to Nyaviskana campsite on the Nuanetsi River, with a stunning view of the cliffs. We camped underneath a truly beautiful old Leadwood and got our first taste of the sheer beauty of this park and its camping grounds.

The landscape

The trickling of raindrops and a small, but vibrant ray of sunshine beaming through my tent woke me the next morning. Outside I was greeted by a quiet sunrise peeping through the grey clouds over the river. The peace and quiet was interrupted only by the call of a Fish Eagle basking on a branch across the river. I remember thinking how much I’d missed this – just being in the bush, close to nature. To see such unspoiled beauty is a true gift and blessing. One by one my fellow adventurers emerged from their respective tents to have a spot of coffee and an excellent breakfast courtesy of Opposite Lock’s very competent bush chef, Darrel van Zyl. We quickly gobbled up our food, packed up our campsite and started our journey through the park. Our destination was Chivilila Campsite, in the northern part of the park on the other side of the Runde river.

We were immediately impressed by the sheer beauty of Gonarezhou. The flora of this park is what you’d expect – a whole bunch of Mopane and some beautiful old Leadwoods, with the occasional Baobab scattered in between. It was everything but the dystopian barren park described by my grandfather and his travel books. However, we did realise that the wildlife was a bit spooked. The reason being that the south of the park is not as well travelled as the north. We also noticed that the further north and closer to the Rundu River we went, the more abundant and less spooked the wildlife became.

I must admit the elephants of Gonarezhou – especially those in the south – were more aggressive than I was used to. They liked mock charging and were extremely vocal. The reason for this is quite apparent, albeit very sad. Gonarezhou has been heavily impacted by poaching. In addition, being near Mozambique meant it was affected by the wars in the area and this had a massive effect on the wellbeing of the park and the wildlife, particularly the elephants. However, everything changed for the better when, in 2007, the Frankfurt Zoological Society – working alongside the Zimbabwe Government – launched a project to restore the park to its former glory. The goal of Gonrezhou is to establish a park that takes pride in its conservation and is an attractive eco-tourism destination. This is a work in progress, though, and the behaviour of the wildlife in the south clearly attests to that.

Further north, the landscape also started to change rapidly, with rocky outcrops and hillsides becoming more abundant. While driving, I marked the Runde River on the GPS because I knew that at some point during the day, we were going to have to cross over. When we finally reached it, we were stunned by the sheer beauty of the Runde Gorge and the causeway helping you to cross over it. It was a bit of a climb out of the gorge, only to go back down it on a genuinely treacherous rocky piece of road, which didn’t phase the Jimny in any way.

We finally got to our destination for the evening, the beautiful Chivillila campsite in the Chivillila Gorge near Chivillila Falls. The campsite is absolutely amazing. You camp on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley and the Runde River flowing through it. And the campsite glowed with beauty as the sun set over the sandstone around us. It was as if each campsite on this trip had to one-up the previous one. We had a wonderful evening discussing the events of the day whilst enjoying the fantastic food prepared by Jaco from Affipadaf because – as usual – he went all out and didn’t disappoint. After a meal fit for royalty, we discussed our plans for the next day.

I remember quietly thinking to myself how wonderful this place is… We were surrounded by stars like a black sheet full of holes covering a lamp. It was sheer beauty. And then, all of a sudden, we weren’t only surrounded by stars and beauty, but a pack of curious hyenas reminding me of the scene with Scar and his posse of hyenas in The Lion King. We heard a commotion at the foot of our campsite and upon inspection saw a hyena moving away from us. Looking around the campsite, we saw eyes looking back at us from every direction. I counted nearly ten hyenas waiting for us to leave so they could scavenge for our scraps. Once I got to bed, the laughing hyenas rocked me to dreamland.

Place of the elephants

The next day was another early start. We headed to the reception at Chipinda Pools to refuel the thirsty Cruisers in our travelling party. Upon arriving at the reception, we were greeted by an elephant lazing around the area. It was a stark contrast to how the elephants were behaving in other parts of the park.

This majestic beast was totally calm, just minding his own business. It was an accurate indication of the work being done by the Frankfurt Zoological Society. This became more prominent as we moved alongside the northern bank of the Runde River toward the Chitove Exclusive Campsite, our home for the following two days. However, before making the drive, we first headed to the beautiful Chivillila Falls. It’s a beautiful set of rock faces with water cascading in every direction. This was only our third day in the park, and I was already wondering how one place could have so much natural beauty in abundance?

The road to Chitove was by far the most scenic and beautiful road we drove during the trip. The flora was terrific, the riverbank littered with Baobabs and Fever trees. Some of the Baobabs are nearly 10m in diameter and 20m high. We saw a lot of game, from antelope to ellies to some amazing birdlife. We spotted a Tawny Eagle nesting in the top of a beautiful Baobab tree. We even saw a pair of endangered Ground Hornbills – only my second sighting ever. The entire drive was just incredible. The scents, the scenery and all the elephants – sheer perfection.

Our second Runde River crossing posed a bit of a challenge: the lack of a river causeway… and I couldn’t cross this time because of the healthy crocodile population. Luckily, some fellow overlanders across the river indicated the safest path through. The ever-adventurous Kenny from CGear was eager to put his mighty Amarok V6 to the test and crossed first. He rose to the occasion and gave us all the motivation we needed to go through. Our camp – the Chitove Exclusive Campsite – was another beaut, sitting on the top of the sand bank right on the banks of the river. We noticed some fish hunting by the bank, which excited us because some tiger fishing was on the cards for the next day.

The hunt for tigers

We all woke up bright and early, eager to fish for some tigers. When I say everyone, I am not being entirely truthful. The youngster in the group – that would be me – opted to sleep in. However, in my defence, it was our first day of not travelling, and long-time magazine readers will know that my luck with tiger fishing hasn’t been great. I have been chasing that elusive first tiger for nearly five years – without success.

After breakfast, I meandered down the riverbank toward the rocky bits where the flow was a bit stronger and where we were protected from the hippos. The fishing went well. Almost immediately, the tigers started biting. Nearly everybody had luck with the tigers, with Kenneth landing a big one of around 3kg. So overall, the fishing was a success, at least for some of us. Jaco and – yes, you guessed it – I had no such luck. We called it quits after the fish started biting less and less but vowed to try again later that day.

We headed back to the campsite to enjoy our day off from driving. While just lazing about, we heard Kenny shouting from near the long drop: “Guys, there’s a snake here!” We immediately headed to him, and I saw what I initially thought was a PVC pipe lying by the long drop. I found it odd as I had not seen any litter in the park, but to my surprise, that piece of PVC pipe was ALIVE! It turned out to be a massive Snouted Cobra on the prowl for dassies and mice living around the rocky outcrop beside our campsite. This was an incredible sighting, considering that snakes – huge venomous ones like this one – are a pretty rare sighting. The astonishing thing about the snake was how calm it was. It was surrounded by a whole bunch of people and just continued onward, unperturbed by our presence. It really just goes to show how misunderstood these wonderful reptiles are.

Later in the day, we headed back to the rocky rapids of the river to continue our hunt for the elusive tiger. Jaco and I had not caught one, and the entire travelling party vowed that they would do all in their power to help us land that first tiger. However, the sun fell lower and lower, and after enjoying a proper African sunset, we returned to the campsite. Jaco and I were still dreaming of catching that “river dog”. Although the fishing gods had not smiled upon us, we still enjoyed another lovely night beautiful Gonarezhou.

Glorious Ginarezhou

Heading towards the end of our adventure, we had another early start on the seventh day. It was Kenneth’s birthday and nature blessed him with one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen on my adventures – the “fireball” in the sky sweeping a bright orange light across the bushveld. It reminded me of a quote by Ernest Hemingway: “I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.”

After enjoying this amazing sunrise, we headed back down to the rapids to have one last crack at catching that first tiger. I admit I was not optimistic, but I’ve never been one for giving up, so I gave it my all! After about 20 minutes of trying, I felt something violently tugging on my fishing rod. I didn’t even get a chance to react properly, but luckily, I had the correct instinct and started fighting immediately. A tiger is a ferocious fighter, and I thought I had a true beast at the end of my line. However, after I landed it, it was barely a foot long. Still, I didn’t care because, after five years of struggling, I had finally landed my first tiger fish! The rush was incredible! I was over the moon. And I was not the only one with success. Jaco, although he didn’t catch a tiger, landed a decent catfish.

We all returned to camp to pack up our gear and make our way to Directors Exclusive Campsite. It was a short day of travelling, and we took the opportunity to head to the top of Chilojo Cliffs where we were treated to an unbelievable view. It really gives you an idea of the sheer size of Gonarezhou itself. These cliffs tower over the Gonarezhou National Park and as we returned to the vehicles, we were convinced that the views wouldn’t get any better… But the next campsite would prove us wrong.

Directors is the “poster boy” campsite of Gonarezhou. It is on a sandbank overlooking the Runde, with the Chilojo Cliffs rounding off the perfect picture in the background. As dusk started rolling in, the cliffs transformed into a glorious red shade with a beautiful orange-black outline. At that very moment, a flash storm broke out. After a few minutes of rain, the heavens cleared to make way for a double rainbow. Just to spoil us some more, a group of four elephants emerged out of the bushes to walk through the riverbed. This was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and it was a highlight of my experience as an overlander and eco-tourist thus far. It solidified Gonarezhou’s status as a must-visit destination for any overlander. We ended the day with a fantastic meal and some delightful birthday celebrations.

The final day

We woke up in the shade of the magnificent Chilojo Cliffs and had a prolonged, calm morning. We were nearing the end of our trip, and everybody was extremely relaxed and recharged in a way only the bush can do. We took it easy and packed up camp at a very leisurely pace.

We took the short drive to Chipinda Pools, reminiscing about our trip to this wonderful, underrated park. We arrived at our final campsite, enjoying the view of the mighty Runde River and taking time to bask in the final peace and beauty this park brings. For me, this is what makes overlanding truly special – it allows you to get lost, vanish and just take in everything our world has to offer.

As American travel author, Bill Bryson, once said: “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar that it is taken for granted.” Gonarezhou made me appreciate the true meaning of what he said. I’ve seen some truly beautiful things while travelling through southern Africa and thought that nothing could really surprise me anymore. Boy – was I wrong! This place is simply next level when it comes to natural beauty.

I implore all overlanders to add it to your bucket list – you will not be sorry! On our final night we all turned in early. Just before bedtime, a curious elephant on his way into the wonderful, remarkable, beautiful Gonarezhou came to bid us farewell. The next day we made the long trip home, driving to the border in convoy. From there, each of us headed in different directions, forever holding Gonarezhou very close to our hearts.

Garmin Tread XL Overland Edition

Our Gonarezhou trip demanded a lot of navigation, and we would have gotten lost if it wasn’t for the Garmin Tread XL Overland Edition. But how does the Garmin Tread XL Overland Edition fit into the market? And is the hefty price tag worth it?

What is the Tread XL Overland Edtions?

Last year we tested the Garmin Overland and the Garmin Tread and both units performed exceptionally, guiding us through the gravel back roads of Mozambique. The key benefits of the Overland were its overall size, durability, ease of use and practicality. The Tread was similar in performance but was much smaller than the Overland unit. Its one major benefit over the Overland was that it had Garmin’s InReach technology built into the GPS itself (with the Overland you had to purchase an additional accessory to access the InReach technology). InReach is amazing technology as it allows the user to communicate and stay connected without any signal or cell service via satellite communication. It also features the all-important SOS button which can be a true lifesaver in case of an emergency.

At the time, I thought that a combination of these two units would be amazing, and it seems the product planners at Garmin had the same idea since the Tread XL Overland edition is exactly that – a true combination of the Tread and Overland units.

Performance

This GPS did an amazing job of navigating us through the rural parts of Zimbabwe, in large part thanks to the user-friendly interface and intuitive use. The Tread XL Overland we sampled boasted a massive 10-inch display which made it easy to use on the fly. The Tread XL Overland allows you to connect your smartphone for handsfree connectivity and you can even play music via Bluetooth, making it a perfect navigation companion for something like an older Land Cruiser or Land Rover Defender (which don’t come standard with this tech). The unit itself is IP67 water-resistant, so you won’t have to worry too much about getting it wet or dusty. As per usual the GPS is available with Garmin’s ABC app which gives you an altimeter, barometer and a compass. The barometer proved particularly useful when we went fishing.

The unit isn’t perfect, though, as it didn’t once provide an accurate estimated time of arrival. This may very well have been due to user error, but even a tech savvy 21-year old couldn’t figure this out! Another issue arose after installing Tracks4Africa. The GPS started slowing down and even freezing at times. To repair this, I had to deactivate all the active maps except the Tracks4Africa one. And I wish the battery had a bit more kick to it because when off external power the GPS drained power very quickly.

Verdict

The Garmin Tread XL Overland is, without a doubt, an unbelievable piece of equipment and the integrated InReach system might prove to be invaluable in the case of an emergency. However, it does have a rather hefty price tag (starting at R29 899), which might deter many potential buyers. In all honesty, I‘d probably advise you to buy the Overland unit (priced from R13 999) and install the InReach Mini2 module (available to purchase at around R7 999).

Our Steed

Off-roading and overlanding

We had the luxury of making this trip in Opposite Lock’s Suzuki Jimny, which was built to be an ultra-capable overlander. The Jimny had chunky and slightly taller 235/75 R15 BF Goodrich KO2 tyres, allied to a 60mm suspension lift, courtesy of Tough Dog Foam Cell shock absorbers. For good measure, it also boasted a Tungsten winch and a snorkel. The best fitment, however, had to be the Long Ranger long-range fuel tank. With a capacity of 80 litres, it replaces the OEM-fitted 40-litre tank and effectively gives the Jimny double its original travel range.

Storage

For some extra storage, the Jimny had a Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack with a heap of accessories, including an axe bracket, a shovel bracket and a bracket for the MAXTRAX Mini and Jaxbase combo. In addition, for storage, we has a single Wolf Pack Pro with quick release brackets and a Front Runner Typhoon Bag with two Front Runner Cab packs inside. The Front Runner Pro20-litre water tank with a tap and the adjoining bracket also came in super handy , Making every inch of space count, we had a spare tyre mount braai and a ladder fitted to the rear which allowed for easy access to the rooftop, as well as rear window gullwing from Bushtech.

Power and Lights

The Jimny was outfitted with a Snowmaster 35-litre leisure camping fridge, which meant that it needed a dual battery system to keep the refrigerator operational when not driving. As a result, the Jimny was fitted with a National Luna DC25 power pack with a deep cycle battery and an Intervolt In-Vehicle DC-DC battery charger. Topping off the power source solution was a foldable solar panel for solar charging. As for lights, the Jimny was fitted with Lightforce LED Striker driving lights to the front of the vehicle, as well as two sets of the 10-inch single row LED bars on the roof rack. Utility lighting was taken care of with Lightforce Utility Light-Flood lights, one on each side profile, and a work light at the rear (all fitted to the Front Runner roof rack).

*Contact Opposite Lock for more information: www.oppositelock.co.za | +27 11 697 0001

Travel Guide Gonarezhou

Camping in Gonarezhou is about wilderness at its best, boasting camps that are far from the beaten track and allow for the privilege of enjoying the wild space of Gonarezhou in all its raw and untouched glory. Whether it’s the deep and heavy roar of a lion, the unmistakable melody of a fiery-necked nightjar or the quiet crackle of a campfire, camping here is all about true appreciation for nature in its purest form. The park offers a variety of campsites and accommodation options.

Bush camping

There are three types of bush-camping sites in Gonarezhou – Exclusive, Wilderness and Transit sites. All sites are booked exclusively and set in some of the most sought-after and picturesque areas of the park. The bush camps are extreme rustic, with only a bush loo (long drop/blair toilet) and a fire pit, ensuring you have the ultimate, unhindered wilderness experience. There is no electricity or showers, and you have to bring your own drinking water.

  • Exclusive Campsites – US$126 per site for basic package (6 people), plus US$21 per person per night: There are seven exclusive campsites in the park, with a maximum of 12 adults allowed to camp per site. Vehicles are limited to four per stand and a camp attendant can be arranged when you book (at an additional cost).
  • Wilderness Campsites – US$63 per site for basic package (3 people), plus US$21 per person per night: The 11 wilderness campsites in the park cater for a maximum of 12 adults per site. Vehicles are limited to four per stand and these sites do not offer the option of a camp attendant.
  • Transit Campsites – US$63 per site for basic package (3 people), plus US$2 per person per night: Gonarezhou has three transit campsites, specifically meant for those intending to stay/rest for a short period of time while experiencing wild camping. Visitors (maximum of 12 adults) are allowed to stay for a maximum of two nights. Vehicles are limited to five per stand and it does not offer the option of a camp attendant.

Developed Campsites

Gonarezhou National Park offers three developed campsites, all set on the banks of the major rivers in the park. Arranged in a communal setting with shared facilities, hot and cold running water, flush ablutions, and an onsite camp attendant (shared amongst the sites), these camps are ideal for families, groups and those who require at least some of the basic luxuries of modern life. Note that there is no electricity in any of these camps and it offers only unfiltered borehole drinking water. Vehicles are limited to two per site and visitors to a maximum of six adults.

  • Chipinda Pools: A mere 10 minutes’ drive from the Chipinda Pools reception area, you will find this popular campsite featuring nine sites, all set along the Runde River. There are three communal ablution units that serve three camps each and each camp has a braai area, tap with running water and a thatched rondavel.
  • Chinguli: With five campsites – all set along the banks of the Runde River – Chinguli offers a communal ablution facility, and all sites are equipped with a braai area, thatched rondavel and tap with running water.
  • Mabalauta: Shaded by a tall canopy of trees along the Mwenezi River in the south of the park, the five sites at Mabalauta share a communal ablution block and each has a tap with running water and a braai area.

*Cost: US$45 per site for basic package (3 people), plus US$15 for additional guests (maximum of 6).

Star-bed Platforms

The star-bed platforms are simple raised wooden platforms located at water pans in some of the most remote areas of the Gonarezhou National Park. Designed to allow guests to sleep in relative safety under the open skies, the platforms provide a unique opportunity to enjoy the wilderness. Each site can accommodate a maximum of six adults and vehicles are limited to two per site.

  • Bhenji Weir: Famous for the herds of elephant, buffalo and other wildlife attracted by the spring, the well-known Bhenji site is the only covered platform on offer. Although elevated above the water, it has sweeping views of the Bhenji Stream Valley and the main game trails to the spring.
  • Malugwe Platform: Situatated in the heart of Gonarezhou, Malugwe allows visitors to slow down and truly appreciate this wilderness and the surroundings
  • Gorwe platform: This special platform overlooks a beautiful and productive pan, filled with a healthy wildlife community.

*Cost: US$63 per site for basic package (3 people), plus US$21 for additional guests (maximum of 6).

**There are also a variety of Tented Camps available throughout the park, prized from US$90 to US$150 per night.

Contact the reservations team on reservations@gonarezhou.org or via WhatsApp/telephone: + 263 779 788 811 (WhatsApp or email is more reliable).

*All rates are for SADC visitors and are subject to change without prior notice.

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